Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

79 reviews

alisonvh's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The writing could be better, but the plot completely sucked me in. I devoured this book in just a few days when I was on vacation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Abandonment, Death, Stalking, Murder, Violence, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood

buer's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Velvet Was the Night is a historical fiction with a strong romantic bent, starring Maite and Elvis. Maite is a woman in her thirties who loves reading romance and listening to records in lieu of having the husband and children that her mother keeps pestering her about. When her neighbor, Leonora, asks her to cat sit while she is out of town, Maite acquiesces - only to find herself suddenly living a life akin to the ones she reads about in her graphic romances. On the other side of the equation Elvis is a young man who has always existed on the criminal side of things. He too loves records and books and he has a strong sense of ethics that drive him to sometimes make surprising choices.  The historical events surrounding this story are true, but the main players are fictional, making for a pulpy thrill ride in the midst of a tumultuous historical time in 1970s Mexico City.

Both Maite and Elvis exist in shades of gray. Maite technically a law-abiding citizen, but she lies to her co-workers, despises her family, and has a penchant for stealing small trinkets from people she knows or works for. Elvis has a job that has him beating people up and threatening them constantly, but is profoundly loyal and has a strong sense of ethics that sometimes make it hard for him to do his job. Over the course of the story both Maite and Elvis become even more gray as they grapple with their personal ethics and their current lifestyles.

I personally found Maite to be a pretty obnoxious. She is incredibly self-deprecating and is constantly day dreaming about sex. She only wills herself to act when a man is a part of the equation. However I'll be the first to admit that in spite of me not liking her as a character, Moreno-Garcia did a great job of shaping action around a stagnant and unlikable main character and constantly throwing her into contrast against Elvis.

My usual disclaimer: I listened to this book rather than reading it, which makes it difficult to evaluate the writing.  Gisela Chípe was a great narrator, although a few of her deeper voices felt a little cartoonish and I didn't love how ditzy Leonora sounded. She is easy to listen to for long stretches and is overall very engaging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, and Police brutality

carolined314's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

Deeply miserable people

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Gun violence, and Gore

Moderate: Police brutality, Bullying, Alcohol, Stalking, Death, Body shaming, and Sexual content

yvonnedelacruz's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, and Gun violence

saurahsaurus's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Gun violence, Police brutality, Violence, and Classism

Moderate: Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Torture, War, Cursing, Death, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, and Stalking

Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, and Medical content

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious tense

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Violence, Gun violence, Death, Sexual content, Murder, Police brutality, and Torture

Moderate: Medical content, Blood, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and War

Minor: Colonisation, Confinement, Drug use, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, and Vomit

sunbathingturtle's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

I almost abandoned this book because the first couple of chapters were so slow, but I’m glad I stuck it out; once the plot got going it was a page-turner. The characters were frustratingly mediocre but always vivid. The twists weren’t surprising, but the prospect of discovering how things were going to end was enough to keep me engaged. I found the ending immensely satisfying, even though a central mystery was left unanswered. If you enjoy political thrillers and spy films, this is a very fun read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Torture

sophmcgraw's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, and Torture

Moderate: Violence, Death, Sexual content, and Murder

mayhem9683's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Sexual harassment

hexedmaiden's review

mysterious medium-paced

3.5

This was one of those books where despite not liking either protagonist that much, the story itself kept me engaged and needing to know what was going to happen! Velvet might also have been my first noir book I’ve read and it has opened me up to trying more of this genre in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Torture, and Sexual content